英语四六级阅读理解训练题0

英语四六级阅读理解训练0 一Informing the World Every day, the news of the world is relayed to people by over 300 million copies of daily papers, over 400 million radio sets, and over 150 million television sets. Additional news is shown by motion pictures, in theatres and cinemas all over the world. As more people learn what the important events of the day are, fewer are still concerned exclusively with the events of their own household. As the English writer John Donne put it nearly four hundred years ago, "no man is an island. " This idea is more appropriate today than it was when Donne lived. In short, wherever he lives, a man belongs to some society; and we are becoming more and more aware that whatever happens in one particular society affects, somehow, the life and destiny of all humanity. Newspapers have been published in the modern world for about four hundred years. Most of the newspapers printed today are read in Europe and North America. However, soon they may be read in all parts of the world, thanks to the new inventions that are changing the techniques of newspaper publishing. Electronics and automation have made it possible to produce pictures and text far more quickly than before. Photographic reproduction eliminates the need for type and printing presses. And fewer specialists, such as type-setters, are needed to produce a paper or magazine by the photo-offset (照相平板胶印) method. Therefore, the publishing of newspapers and magazines becomes more economical. Furthermore, photo-copies can be sent over great distances now by means of television channels and satellites such as Telstar. Thus, pictures can be brought to the public more quickly than previously. Machines that prepare printed texts for photo-copies are being used a great deal today. Thousands of letters and figures of different sizes and thicknesses can now be arranged on a black glass disc that is only eight inches in diameter, to be printed in negative form(white on a black background). The disc on the machine turns constantly at the rate of ten revolutions a second. A beam of light from a slroboscopic (频闪的) lamp shines on the desired letters and figures for about I wo-millionths of a second. Then the image of the letters and figures that were illuminated is projected onto a film through lenses. The section of film is large enough to hold the equivalent of a page of text. There is a keyboard in front of the machine that is similar to the keyboard of a typewriter, and the machine operator has only to strike the proper keys for the image of the corresponding letters to be immediately transferred to the film. The negative image on the film can quickly be transferred onto paper. This method makes it as easy to reproduce photographs and illustrations as it is to reproduce the text itself. Film, being light and small, can be sent rapidly to other places and used to print copies of the text where they are needed. Film images can also be projected easily on a movie or television screen. Television broadcasts are limited to an area that is within sight of the sending station or its relay ( 中继 ). Although television relays are often placed on hills and mountains so that they can cover a wider region, they still can not cover more land than one could see from the same hilltop on a clear day. However, the rays also go out into the atmosphere, and if there is a relay station on a satellite that revolves around the earth, it can transmit the pictures to any point on the earth from which the satellite is visible. Three satellites permanently revolving over the equator transmit any television program to any part of the earth. This makes it possible for world editions of newspapers to give the news in all countries at the same time. Some day it may be possible for a subscriber to a televised newspaper to press a button and see a newspaper page on his television screen. He could also decide when he wants the page to turn, and, by dialling different numbers such as those on a telephone dial, he could choose the language or the edition of the paper he wants to read. It seems strange to think that, even today, methods of the past are not entirely useless. For example, sometimes press agencies that use radio and Telstar use carrier pigeons to send messages between offices in large cities because the pigeons are not bothered by traffic problems. It may be some time before television sets become common in the average homes in Africa and Asia. However, radio is already rapidly becoming accessible to thousands of people in these areas. And, now that good radios are being made with transistors, and their price is gradually dropping because of mass production, it may not be" too long before radios become commonplace in areas which have no newspapers. Transistors make it possible for people to carry small radios wherever they go, without need of electric current. Even television sets are now operating on transistors, and the pocket TV may soon be as widespread as the pocket radio. Now that scientific progress is making it possible to send the news to all the inhabitants of the earth, it will be important to consider what news is going to be sent to them. No matter what criteria are used in making the decision, a decision must be made, since no one would' have time to read or listen to an account of everything there is going on in the world! People who have time to read several papers can already compare different reports of the same event. When an event has political significance, each paper reports it from the point of view of its own political beliefs or preferences. Ideally, of course, the expression of editorial opinion should be limited to the editorial page, and the news articles should be objective—telling the facts as completely as possible, without trying to give them a particular interpretation, or without otherwise trying to influence the reader's opinion. However, reporters and editors are only human, and if they have strong political beliefs it is almost impossible for them to hide them. If editors believe their point of view is best for the readers of their paper, what's to stop them from using the paper to try to influence public opinion? And if, some day, a world newspaper becomes a reality, will it be the most powerful press agencies that will choose the news to be sent out to all countries? 1. The expression "no man is an island" means that no man lives surrounded by water. 2. According to the author, it may not be long before people all over the world have access to newspapers. 3. The transferring of newspaper texts to film is time-consuming and costly. 4. Transistors are particularly useful because they are used in small radio and TV sets. 5. Television relays are often placed on a hilltop so that they can reach a satellite. 6. People are capable of knowing all the events going on in every part of the world. 7. If a world newspaper becomes a reality, it will take more responsibility for informing all the readers of the latest news in the world. 8. Newspapers have been published for about______. 9. Any television program could be transmitted to any part of the world by______. 10. It is ideal that the news articles______. 二 Social customs and ways of behaving change. Things which were considered impolite many years ago are now 11 . Just a few years ago, it was 12 impolite behavior for a man to smoke on the street. No man who thought of himself as being a gentleman would make a 13 of himself by smoking when a lady was in a room. Customs also differ from country to country. Does a man walk on the left or the right of a woman in your country? Or doesn't it 14 ? What about table manners? Should you use both hands when you are eating? Should you leave one in your lap, or on the table? The Americans and the British not only speak the same language but also 15 a large number of social customs. For example, in both America and England people shake hands when they meet each other for the first time. Also, most Englishmen will open a door for a woman or offer their seat to a woman, and so will most Americans. 16 is important both in England and in America. That is, if a dinner invitation is for 7 o'clock, the dinner guest either arrivto that time or callses 17 up to explain his 18 The important thing to remember about social customs is not to do anything that might make other people feel uncomforta if they are your guestble— 19s. There is an old story about a man who gave a formal dinner party. When the food was served, one of the guests started to eat his peas with a knife. The other guests were amused or shocked, but the 20 calmly picked up his knife and began eating in the same way. A. especially B. attainable C. close D. delay E. considered F. host G. delivery H. Preparation I. share J. fool K. specifically L. acceptable M. matter N. Promptness 0. care 三 To understand why someone becomes an optimist or a pessimist, it helps to understand what distinguishes them. Say you crash your car. Do you expect good things to happen after the accident—an easy recuperation (挽回损失) , a fat check from your insurer? Or do you worry that your neck will hurt forever? "Optimistic people tend to feel that bad things won't last long and won't affect other parts of life, ".Seligman says. Pessimists tend to believe one negative incident will last and undermine everything else in their lives. Also important, researchers say, is the story you construct about why things happen—your explanatory style. Optimists believe that bad events have temporary causes—"The boss is in a bad mood. " Pessimists believe the cause is permanent—"The boss is a jerk. " This sense of control distinguishes one type from the other. Positive thinkers feel powerful. Negative thinkers, Seligman says, feel helpless because they have learned to believe they're doomed, no matter what. A young wife who's told she's incapable of handling household finances might later become a divorce woman who can't balance a checkbook. Such learned helplessness causes much harm on health. Studies show that optimists are better at coping with the distress associated with everything from sore throat to heart surgery. Furthermore, scientists at U. C. L. A. discovered that optimists have more disease-fighting T cells. Pessimists also don't believe in preventive care. Visit a doctor and you might find out you're sick! My father was rushed to the emergency room for medical conditions that would have been easily treatable if he'd seen a doctor sooner. 21. The word "undermine"(Para. 2) most probably means A. go below B. weaken C. affect D. destroy 22. "The boss is a jerk. " These words are used here to show______. A. how some bosses act displeasingly B. how optimists explain some bad events C. how pessimists think about the unhappy things around them D. how the writer suggests people should do when facing something unpleasant 23. The example given about a young wife shows that______. A. the dividing line between optimists and pessimists B. young women today suffer a lot in doing housework C. most of young wives are pessimists D. the pessimists are used to thinking of everything negatively 24. Which of the following statements is TRUE of "my father"? A. My father was an optimist. B. My father didn't like to take any preventive measures. C. My father often visited doctors. D. My father was wise enough to mind his own health. 25. It can be inferred from the passage that Seliman should be______. A. an optimist B. a pessimist C. a psychologist D. the writer of this passage 四 Nearly everyone agrees that money doesn't buy as much as it used to, no matter where you want to spend it. This is certainly true of the paper money that passes so quickly through one's hands. Inflation(通货膨胀) eats away at its buying power just as the steady appetite of waves chews at sand cliffs. But what about coins that seem to do very little except wear out your purses and pockets? Unlike notes, metal money becomes more valuable the longer it is held, especially if it is put away where it won't get scratched or worn. Why is this? One reason is that coins, being more durable, fall more readily into a category for collectors. Naturally, the rarer gold pieces must become more valuable as the price of this metal goes up. But, curiously, one of the rarest coins in the world is not made of gold, but of the relatively cheaper silver. In 1804, the United States mint(造币厂) struck 19,570 silver dollars. That is what its records show. Today only six of this original number remain and these are unlikely ever to reach the auction market. So what happened to some 19,564 large silver coins, not the easiest sort of things to lose? One of the more romantic theories is that they were part of the payment to Napoleon for the American territory then known as Louisiana. But they never reached France. Somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, the ship transporting them was sunk, either by a storm or by pirates (#?&). The probable answer to the mystery is that they were melted down—since the silver value was greater than the actual value of the coin. What really happened to the rest will probably always remain a mystery. What is known is that whoever can come up with one will find himself instantly rich. 26. It can be inferred from passage that_______. A. money buys as much as it did before B. money does not buy as much as it did before C. paper money buys more than metal money D. metal money buys more than paper money 27. Which of the following is TRUE of a coin? A. The longer it is held, the less valuable it becomes. B. The more it wears out, the more valuable it becomes. C. The less it gets scratched, the less it values. D. The longer it lasts, the more it values. 28. According to this passage, one of the rarest coins in the world is made of A. silver B. gold C. copper D. paper 29. Coins become more valuable because_______. A. they wear out your purses and pockets B. the price of metal goes up C. they fall more readily into a category for collectors due to their duration D. both B and C 30. What really happened to some 19,564 large silver coins? A. They were melted down. B. They were sunk in the Gulf of Mexico. C. It is still a mystery. D. They were stolen by pirates 五 Etiquette (礼仪) The origins of etiquette—the conventional rules of behavior and ceremonies observed in polite society—are complex. One of them is respect for authority. From the most primitive times, subjects(臣民) showed respect for their ruler by bowing, prostrating themselves on the ground, not speaking until spoken to, and never turning their backs to the throne. Some rulers developed rules to stress even further the respect due to them. The emperors of Byzantium expected their subjects to kiss their feet. When an ambassador from abroad was introduced, he had to touch the ground before the throne with his forehead. Meanwhile the throne itself was raised in the air so that, on looking up, the ambassador saw the ruler far above him, haughty and remote. Absolute rulers have, as a rule, made etiquette more complicated rather than simpler. The purpose is not only to make the ruler seem almost godlike, but also to protect him from familiarity, for without some such protection his life, lived inevitably in the public eye, would be intolerable. The court of Louis XIV of France provided an excellent example of a very highly developed system of etiquette. Because the king and his family were considered to belong to France, they were almost continually on show among their courtiers (朝臣). They woke, prayed, washed and dressed before crowds of courtiers. Even large crowds watched them eat their meals, and access to their palace was free to all their subjects. Yet this public life was organized so carefully, with such a refinement of ceremonial, that the authority of the King and the respect in which he was held grew steadily throughout his lifetime. A crowd watched him dress, but only the Duke who was his first valet de chamber (贴身男仆) was allowed to hold out the right sleeve of his shirt, only the Prince who was his Grand Chamberlain could relieve him of his dressing gown, and only the Master of the Wardrobe might help him pull up his trousers. These were not familiarities, nor merely duties, but highly desired privileges. Napoleon recognized the value of ceremony to a ruler. When he became Emperor, he discarded the revolutionary custom of calling everyone "citizen", restored much of the Court ceremonial that the Revolution had destroyed, and recalled members of the nobility to instruct his new court in the old formal manners. Rules of etiquette may prevent embarrassment and even serious disputes. The general rule of social precedence is that people of greater importance precede those of lesser importance. Before the rules of diplomatic precedence were worked out in the early sixteenth century, rival ambassadors often fought for the most honourable seating position at a ceremony. Before the principle was established that ambassadors of various countries should sign treaties in order of seniority, disputes arose as to who should sign first. The establishment of rules for such matters prevented uncertainty and disagreement, as to rules for less important occasions. For example, at an English wedding, the mother of the bridegroom should sit in the first pew or bench on the right-hand side of the church. The result is dignity and order. Outside palace circles, the main concern of etiquette has been to make harmonious the behaviour of equals, but sometimes social classes have used etiquette as a weapon against intruders, refining their manners in order to mark themselves off from the lower classes. In sixteenth-century Italy and eighteenth-century France, decreasing prosperity and increasing social unrest led the ruling families to try to preserve their superiority by withdrawing from the lower and middle classes behind barriers of etiquette. In a prosperous community, on the other hand, polite society soon absorbs the newly rich, and in England there has never been any shortage of books on etiquette for teaching them the manners appropriate to their new way of life. Every code of etiquette has contained three elements: basic moral duties; practical rules which promote efficiency; and artificial, optional graces such as formal compliments to, say, women on their beauty or superiors on their generosity and importance. In the first category are consideration for the weak and respect for age. Among the ancient Egyptians the young always stood in the presence of older people. Among the Mponguwe of Tanzania, the young men bow as they pass the huts of the elders. In England, until about a century ago, young children did not sit in their parents' presence without asking permission. Practical rules are helpful in such ordinary occurrences of social life as making proper introductions at parties or other functions so that people can be brought to know each other. Before the invention of the fork, etiquette directed that the fingers should be kept as clean as possible; before the handkerchief came into common use, etiquette suggested that, after spitting, a person should rub the spit inconspicuously (难以察觉的) underfoot. Extremely refined behavior, however, cultivated as an art of gracious living, has been characteristic only of societies with wealth and leisure, which admitted women as the social equals of men. After the fall of Rome, the first European society to regulate behavior in private life in accordance with a complicated code of etiquette was twelfth-century Provence, in France. Provence had become wealthy. The lords had returned to their castles from the crusades (十字军东征) , and there the ideals of chivalry (武士制度) grew up, which emphasized the virtue and gentleness of women and demanded that a knight (骑士) should profess a pure and dedicated love to a lady who would be his inspiration, and to whom he would dedicate his brave deeds, though he would never come physically close to her. This was the introduction of the concept of romantic love, which was to influence literature for many hundreds of years and which still lives on in a belittled form in simple popular songs and cheap novels today. In Renaissance Italy too, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, a wealthy and leisured society developed an extremely complex code of manners, but the rules of behavior of fashionable society had little influence on the daily life of the lower classes. Indeed many of the rules, such as how to enter a banquet room, or how to use a sword or handkerchief for ceremonial purposes, were irrelevant to the way of life of the average working man, who spent most of his life outdoors or in his own poor hut and most probably did not have a handkerchief, certainly not a sword, to his name. Yet the essential basis of all good manners does not vary. Consideration for the old and weak and the avoidance of harming or giving unnecessary offence to others is a feature of all societies everywhere and at all levels from the highest to the lowest. You can easily think of dozens of examples of customs and habits in your own daily life which come under this heading. 1. Etiquette simply serves the purpose of showing respect for authority. 2. Louis XIV of France made etiquette very complicated to avoid familiarity. 3. People of all societies and social ranks observe the good manners of consideration for the weak and respect for age. 4. Napoleon discarded aristocratic privileges when he became Emperor of France. 5. Etiquette has been used to distinguish people from different classes. 6. In Europe, the newly rich have added new ingredients to etiquette while they are learning to behave appropriately for a new way of life. 7. After the sixteenth century, fights between ambassadors over precedence were a common occurrence. 8. Extremely refined behaviour had ______ on the life of the working class. 9. Basic moral duties are one of the_______of every code of etiquette. 10. According to the passage, the concept of romantic love was introduced in_______. 六 The economy of the United States after 1952 was the economy of a well-fed, almost fully employed people. Despite occasional alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a state of boom. An economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950’s, may be typical as illustrating the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was valued at 10 percent above that of 1954 (1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars). The production of manufacturers was about 40 percent more than it had averaged in the years immediately following World War II. The country’s business spent about 30 billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income available for spending was almost a third greater than it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day,or about twenty-five million dollars every hour, all round the clock. Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them. Only agriculture complained that it was not sharing in the room. To some observers this was an ominous echo of the mid-1920’s. As farmer’s share of their products declined, marketing costs rose. But there were, among the observers of the national economy, a few who were not as confident as the majority. Those few seemed to fear that the boom could not last and would eventually lead to the opposite-depression. 1. What is the best title of the passage? a. The Agricultural Trends of 1950’s b. The Unemployment Rate of 1950’s c. U.S. Economy in the 1950’s d. The Federal Budget of 1952 2. In Line 4, the word “boom” could best be replaced by______. a. nearby explosion b. thunderous noise c. general public support d. rapid economic growth 3. It can be inferred from the passage that most people in the United States in 1955 viewed the national economy with an air of _________. a. confidence b. confusion c. disappointment d. suspicion 4. Which of the following were LEAST satisfied with the national economy in the 1950’s? a. Economists b. Farmers c. Politicians d. Steelworkers 5. The passage states that income available for spending in the U.S. was greater in 1955 than in 1950. How much was it? a. 60% b. 50% c. 33% d. 90% 附:The economy of the United States after 1952 was the economy of a well-fed, almost fully employed people. Despite__1__alarms, the country escaped any postwar depression and lived in a__2__of boom. An economic survey of the year 1955, a typical year of the 1950's, may be typical as__3__the rapid economic growth of the decade. The national output was__4__at 10 percent above that of 1954(1955 output was estimated at 392 billion dollars). The production of manufactures was about 40 percent more than it had__5__ in the years immediately following World War I . The country's business spent about 30 billion dollars for new factories and machinery. National income __6__ for spending was almost a third greater than it had been in 1950. Consumers spent about 256 billion dollars; that is about 700 million dollars a day, or about twenty-five million dollars every hour, all round the __7__ . Sixty-five million people held jobs and only a little more than two million wanted jobs but could not find them. Only agriculture__8__that it was not sharing in the boom. To some observers this was a sad reflection of the mid-1920's. As farmers' share of their products__9 __ , marketing costs rose. But there were, among the observers of the national economy, a few who were not as confident as the majority. Those few seemed to fear that the boom could not last long and would__10__lead to the opposite—depression. A. eventually B. averaged C. gradually D. state E. valued F. form G. declined H. occasional I. casual J. argued K. descended L. complained M. clock N. available O. illustrating 七 In the last two hundred years there have been great changes in the method of production of goods. This is now also true of the building industry; for mechanization has been introduced. System building can save both time and money. The principle of system building is that the building is made from a set of standard units. These are either made at the building-site or at a factory. Some designers, in fact, are standardizing the dimensions of rooms. They are made in multiples of a single fixed length, usually ten centimeters. This is called a modular (标准件的) system, and it means that manufactures can produce standardized fittings at a lower cost. The most important fact about system building is its speed. A ten-storey flat, for example, can be completed in four months. There are several new methods of system building. One is the panel method. In this case, the construction company sometimes erects a factory on the site. The walls and floors of the building, called panels, are cast in a horizontal or vertical position. Conduits for electrical wires and sleeves for pipes are cast in the panels when they are being made. The moulds for making these castings are situated all around the building. After the concrete panels are cast, they are allowed to set and harden for a week. Next they are lifted by a tower crane on to any section of the building. There the panels are cemented together at their joints and the floor covering is laid. After the panels have been cemented together, the crane lifts a case into the area. It contains all the fittings to be installed, such as wash-basins, radiators and pipes. Finishing tradesmen, such as plumbers, plasterers, painters and electricians, follow behind to complete the work. In some building developments, in some countries, whole flats with internal features like their bathrooms, bedrooms and connecting stairs, and weighing as much as twenty tons, are carried to the building-site ready-made. A giant overhead crane is used to lift them into position. In the future, this method may become more widespread. 1. The main difference between panel method and the method discussed in the last paragraph is_______. A. the latter uses ready-made internal features B. panels are cast in a level position C. the former is used to build walls and floors while the latter to construct bathrooms or bedrooms D. the former is more expensive than the latter 2. Which of these statements is TRUE of system building? A. It employs more men. B. It is difficult and dangerous. C. It can save both time and money. D. It means less mechanization. 3. According to the passage, the principle of system building is that_______. A. construction methods are safer B. buildings are made from a set of standardized units C. similar buildings can be produced D. all units are produced on the site 4. The usual fixed length in the modular system is_______. A. twenty centimeters B. ten millimeters C. fifty centimeters D. ten centimeters 5. What lifts the concrete panels onto the building? A. Cranes. B. Man-power. C. Pulleys. D. Hydraulic jacks. 八 According to the latest research in the' United States of America, men and women talk such different languages that it is like people from two different cultures trying to communicate. Professor Deborah Tannen of Georgetown University, has noticed the difference in the style of boy's and girl's conversations from an early age. She says that little girls' conversation is less definite than boys' and expresses more doubts. Little boys use conversation to establish status with their listeners. These differences continue into adult life, she says. In public conversations, men talk most and interrupt other speakers more. In private conversations, men and women speak in equal amounts—although they say things in a different style. Professor Tannen believes that, for woman, private talking is a way to establish and test intimacy. For men, private talking is a way to explore the power structure of a relationship. Teaching is one job where the differences between men's and women's ways of talking show. When a man teaches a woman, says Professor Tannen, he wants to show that he has more knowledge, and hence more power in conversation. When a woman teaches another woman, however, she is more likely to take a sharing approach and to encourage her student to join in. But Professor Tannen does not believe that women are naturally more helpful. She says women feel they achieve power by being able to help others. Although the research suggests men talk and interrupt people more than women, Professor Tannen says, women actually encourage this to happen because they believe it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a relationship. Some scientists who are studying speech think that the brain is pre?programmed for language. As we are usually taught to speak by women, it seems likely that the brain must have a sexual bias(倾向性) in its programming, otherwise male speech patterns would not arise at all. 1. In the opinion of the writer, women encourage men to talk because A. it will lead to more intimacy and help to establish a relationship B. it will help to establish status with their listeners C. it will help to express more clearly D. it will help to communicate better 2. There are_______in little girls' conversation than in boys'. A. fewer doubts B. more demands C. more doubts D. fewer uncertainties 3. Some scientists believe that brain is pre-programmed for language. The word "pre programmed" means_______. A. programmed already B. programmed before one is born C. programmed early D. programmed by women 4. In private conversation, women speak A. the same things as men B. less than men C. more than men D. as much as men 5. The theme of this article is _______. A. women are naturally more helpful B. men and women talk different languages C. men talk most and interrupt other speakers more D. little girls' conversation is less definite 九 Computer Use in School Education Accompanying the developments in computing as a subject for study there has been a corresponding growth in the use of the computer as an aid to teaching across the curriculum. The government offer of half-price computers led to the installation of a large number of school microcomputer systems at a time when there was very little educational software. At the same time there was an explosive demand for introductory courses, at first for secondary teachers and later, when the offer was extended to primary schools, for primary teachers. It would be impossible, and inappropriate, to make every teacher into a computer programming expert. What the teacher needs to know is how to connect up a system. And how to load and run programs. Once these skills have been acquired the much more important topic of the evaluation of. computer-based teaching materials can be addressed. The Unintelligent Machine Over the past 20 years the amount of computing power available for a given sum of money has approximately doubled every two years, and it looks as if this trend will continue in the foreseeable future. On the other hand, the fundamental logical design of computers is much the same as at the beginning of this period. The revolution has been one of scale and cost rather than a change in the kinds of things which computers can do. One might have expected therefore that by now we would know the best way in which computers can be used to help with the educational process. In the early sixties, programmed learning was looked on as the pathway to mechanize the learning process. But teaching machines of the time were inflexible and unresponsive. It was soon recognized that computers provide a much higher level of interaction with the student. Responses need not be restricted to multiple-choice button pushing, but can involve the recognition of words or numbers related to the context of the subject. In order to present information and questions to the student and to provide for appropriate branching, depending on the responses, some form of programming language is required. COURSEWRITER and later PILOT are " author languages" which allow someone without technical knowledge of computing to prepare programs of this kind. Text and graphics can be displayed, responses analyzed, and appropriate action taken. A tool such as this might seem to put considerable power in the hands of the teacher and yet such systems are hardly used at all in our schools. One reason is that the preparation of course material using an author language is, like that for videodisc systems, a very time-consuming business. A figure of 20 to 100 hours of preparation is quoted for each hour of student time at the computer. Such an investment is only worthwhile if the material can be used by a large number of students, and that assumes that the necessary resources in time and hardware are actually available. There is a more fundamental reason for lack of progress in computer-based tutorial systems and this relates to the fundamental lack of "intelligence" on the part of the computer. It is easy to generate drill and practice exercises which test a student's ability to produce response. It is quite another matter to provide useful advice if the response is wrong. The human teacher has a mental model of the student and can make a reasonable estimate of why a particular wrong answer has been produced. The longer the teacher has been in contact with that student the better he or she is able to offer constructive advice. The kind of system discussed above has no such model of the student on which to make decisions, nor does it have access to the large body of subject knowledge which is held by the human teacher. Its responses therefore must be stereotyped and unintelligent. Further evidence of the lack of machine intelligence is the failure to make computer " understand" natural language. We talk about " programming languages" for computers, but these are not languages in the ordinary sense. They are just systems of coding which provide a highly stylized way of writing down the solutions to particular sorts of problems. The tact that programs in these languages, although made up largely of English words and some well-known mathematical symbols, are unintelligible to the layC^f-ff W) reader indi?cates the gulf which still exists between the kind of verbal instructions which can be given to another human, and the coded instructions required by the compu?ter. One expert has argued that the construction of an intelligent machine is a logical impossibility. Many researchers in this area would dispute such a claim, but so far they cannot provide the essential demonstration to the contrary. The development of " expert systems", which can provide advice and information on the basis of human experience which is fed into them, is one step in the direction of machine intelligence. However, such systems are limited to knowl‎‎edge in a tightly defined domain, and cannot operate outside this area. Nevertheless, there may well be something here for education. The Computer in the Classroom Where does this leave the computer as a tool for the teacher? Clearly teachers must exploit its strengths rather than complain about its weakness. However dull much drill and practice material may seem, children will often work at it for a considerable time without losing concentration. Rote learning (硬记硬背) is rightly out of favor in most educational contexts, but there are certain things which it is convenient to be able to recall instantly, and the computer can help us to remember them. The school pupil soon learns that the computer never gets tired, never loses its temper, will always respond almost instantaneously to any input, and does not display the pupil's ignorance to other people, and these factors help to provide a micro-environment within which the pupil is stable and secure. The introduction of computers into primary schools has concentrated the minds of educators on the use of the machine as an aid to the teacher, without the distraction of computer studies as a subject in its own right. The computer is very good at storing and rearranging information, and the introduction of simple database manipulation packages has allowed teachers to present pupils with the opportunity to collect information which is of interest to them, to structure it appropriately, and to store it on the computer. From the files thus produced various reports can be generated. These packages can be used in a variety of areas of study, from history to science, and an introduction to them is now an important part of teacher education in the use of computers. Computers can also simulate (|模拟) various dynamic situations, and a number of packages exploit this ability. Even the adventure games, which are sold for amusement to home computer users, can be turned to advantage if the problem-solving aspects are emphasized and the pupils' activity is appropriately structured. 1. A computer has its limitations in the use as an aid to teaching. 2. It is likely that computers will take the place of human teachers in the future. 3. With the use of many computers in schools, the computer courses were in great demand. 4. Computers are more reliable than human teachers in many respects. 5. If focusing on problem-solving, pupils can get more amusement from the computer games. 6. There is an argument over the possibility of making computers as intelligent as human teachers. 7. The more fundamental factor that affects computer aided teaching is that it is time-consuming to prepare course materials. 8. Coursewriter and Pilot are______. 9. For constructive advice, students will have to rely on______. 10. The advantage of computer's capability of storing information has been displayed by the use of______. 十 Growth of trade will depend greatly on availability of energy sources. There may still be a trillion barrels of recoverable oil in the Middle East. But the oil crisis of 1974 has ____1____to renewed interest in coal and to a search for____2____ sources of energy. Solar, geothermal, and nuclear energy will play a large role in the years to come. Solar energy is available in ____3____ forms. Buildings can be heated and cooled by direct use of solar radiation, crops and trees, which are the most efficient converters of sunlight into energy, can be grown for their energy potential, wastes can be burned as ____4____, sunlight can be converted into DC (direct current) electricity, electric power can be____5____from the sun-warmed surface waters of the ocean, and lastly, solar radiation can be converted into heat that will drive electric power generators. Serious problems still____6 remai____an as to nd storage of solar energy. Geothermal energy is the energy contained within the earth. Heat is abundantly available deep in the earth's core and is constantly being produced. However, this heat is usually located at too deep a level for ____7____exploitation. In short, very little is known on the use of geothermal energy, and it has____8____been exploited. Nuclear energy is produced in nuclear power plants. At these plants atoms of uranium are split, thus ____9____masses of energy. Another source of energy under development is the nuclear fusion of certain atoms of hydrogen. This could eventually ____10____natural gas as a source of energy. A. rarely B. transformation C. fuel D. replace E. led F. alternative G. commercial H. briefly I. derived J. various K. relieving L. releasing M. transportation N. financial O. described Answer: 一1. N 2. Y 3. N 4. Y 5. N 6. N 7. NG 8. 400 years 9. satellites 10. be objective二11. L 12. E 13. J 14. M 15. I 16. N 17. C 18. D 19. A 20. F 三21. B 22. C 23. D 24. B 25. C 四26. B 27. D 28. A 29. D 30. C 五I. N 2. Y 3. Y 4. N 5. Y 6. NG 7. N 8. little influence 9. three elements 10. twelfth-century Provence, France 六c d a b c I. H 2. D 3. O 4. E 5. B 6. N 7. M 8. L 9. G 10. A 七 1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A 八1. A 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. B 九I. Y 2. NG 3. Y 4. Y 5. N 6. N 7. N 8. computer languages 9. human teachers 10. database manipulation packages 十1. E 2. F 3. J 4. C 5. I 6. M 7. G 8. A 9. L 10. D